This was the 9th episode, to be scripted, filmed, and 8th to be aired, having only Pilot Serenity un-aired before this one. This airing on 15 November was the last for 3 weeks, with Thanksgiving the next week and then another skip week, until 6 December.

Written by Jose Molina.
This episode was filmed after the first 2 episodes aired (TTJ & Bushwhacked), and largely after the 3rd aired episode (OMR). Rumored to be the episode that Jayne was to be killed off in, the story was reportedly altered when internet interest showed Jayne was the most popular character after broadcasts of TTJ, Bushwhacked, and perhaps OMR.
The time in 2517 that this appears to emulate was Christmas time, with some of River's (crazy) dialogue confirming this.
Also includes the second appearance of Jeff Ricketts and Dennis Cockburn as the Hands of Blue (or Blue Glove Men), after their initial foray in The Train Job, which aired about 2 weeks before this episode filmed.

Strong contenders for my favorite scene, with River's "that doctor is going to kill that man" and Jayne's "we applied the cortical electrodes..."
But because it is the one single scene which hooked me on the need to watch all of the episodes intently (the last half or so of Ariel was my first exposure to The Verse during a marathon on ScYFi, starting about when the hospital admins started to bleed from their eyes), I must choose the scene where Mal wrenches Jayne. Anybody dozing along with the show or drifting off was surely to have bolted upright and opened their eyes at this, where it seemed to the casual viewer that Mal came out of the blue with this, as surely Jayne was also surprised.
Well done by writers, Nathan, and Adam - well done indeed.

I assume this unique experience of mine was not wholly duplicated by all fans, so what was your favorite of this episode?

All FIREFLY graphics and photos on this page are copyright 2002-2012 Mutant Enemy, Inc., Universal Pictures, and 20th Century Fox.
All other graphics and texts are copyright of the contributors to this website.
This website IS NOT affiliated with the Official Firefly Site, Mutant Enemy, Inc., or 20th Century Fox.